Novellus, others unveil integrated copper system
07/01/1998
Novellus, others unveil integrated copper system
Novellus Systems Inc., in an alliance with Lam Research Corp., Integrated Process Equipment Corp. (IPEC), and OnTrak, has unveiled Damascus Complete Copper, a full spectrum of equipment and processes for copper interconnect structures.
Novellus, Lam, and IPEC have combined demo tools in a Novellus applications lab so that customers can test the compatibility of all the technology pieces integrated together. "We don`t say buy everything from me; trust me, it`ll work," said Peter Hanley, Novellus executive VP for worldwide operations, in a blatant slam against perennial competitor Applied Materials. "When customers buy all the processes from our alliance, Novellus will guarantee the results."
What this means in terms of tool throughputs and uptimes is uncertain, though it is clear that field service and process support will continue to reside with the individual alliance partners.
The initial Damascus equipment set includes Novellus` SABRE Cu electrofill; INOVA PVD TaN barrier and Cu seed layer; SPEED F-HDP line dielectric and SiN hard mask; SPEED/SEQUEL SiN diffusion barrier, SiO2 via dielectric, and SiN etch stop; and SEQUEL SiON anitreflective layer. Other equipment includes Lam`s 4520XLE dual damascene oxide etch, IPEC`s AvantGaard Cu CMP, and OnTrak`s Teres Cu CMP with Synergy Performa Cu CMP clean.
The centerpiece of Damascus is Novellus` SABRE deposition system, which enables void-free copper electrofill of copper interconnects in extremely narrow geometry, high aspect ratio IC structures. The approximately $3 million SABRE system is a cluster tool, with three plating modules and three spin-rinse-dry modules surrounding the central wafer handler. All three plating modules share a common reservoir for the recirculating plating solution, to minimize module-to-module deposition nonuniformities. SABRE`s specs include:
3 s =5% for WTW reproducibility (by wafer edge-contact control),
>50 wph for 1.3 ?m Cu,
dry to dry processing, and
estimated COO = $3.00/wafer pass (based on unknown assumptions and an unknown model).
Each anode is spec`d to last 20,000 wafers before requiring replacement, and the anode`s complex shape was designed to produce a uniform electrical field at the wafer (cathode) surface.
SABRE`s "unique" differentiators include:
unique electrical contact,
no immersion of the wafer`s backside (which is claimed to reduce Cu contamination on the backside by 10?),
proprietary plating bath chemistry and automated control,
proprietary anode shape, and
a six-month delivery time.
Novellus currently has 15 people dedicated to Cu ECD development at its Wilsonville, OR, location, and intends to add 50% more staff.
"Novellus` electrofill is in production today," said Hanley, without identifying the customer location. Novellus has officially leaked that its ECD process development was strongly dependent upon the past experience of a major un-named IC manufacturer. The name will be released at SEMICON West. "We have multiple shipments and multiple orders from companies," Hanley added.
Novellus claims a significant manufacturing advantage over Semitool, with 60,000 wafers between PMs, 90% availability, and reduced footprint (through eliminating the need for pre-plating modules in the cluster). Novellus states that a beta-tool shipped last year has now processed over 100,000 wafers, placing it about a year ahead of Applied Materials and CuTek Research in product development, the company says. These latter companies have announced that their beta-tools will ship later this year. Look for fierce competition in this market over the next year. - E.K.